Search "danny+brown" 215 Items

You don’t often see Nassau, Covid and Grace Jones in the same sentence but these were in part the starting blocks for the creation of the brand new album Feel UP by DJ Vadim.

If someone had said in 2019 that a year later the world would literally close down due to a pandemic, very few would have believed a word (well, apart from those who have been expecting the apocalypse since yk2). But Covid did indeed come, countries shut their borders, clubs closed, and people retreated into various degrees of self-confinement.

As a very active international DJ, this was nothing short of armageddon for Vadim. The skies were blackened but rather than sink into inactivity and hibernation, DJ Vadim created his own tropical music festival in his mind, an alternative universe which shared some sort of kindred spirit with the recordings at Compass Point Studios orchestrated by Chris Blackwell for Grace Jones (1980-82), James Brown, Ac-dc…

It was a melting pot of world class musicians melding reggae, pop, soul and african vibes… together creating some of the worlds most influential albums of that period and that spirit was the inspiration and the title for this new DJ Vadim album, Feel UP.

40 years on since those sessions, the same quest of discovery descended upon Vadim’s studio in Barcelona. The urge for growth, self-discovery and the creation of new sounds took place. Out went the dubcatcher with its 80’s digital sounds and returned a global musical tapas of sounds.

Inhale, exhale, Feel UP is the soundtrack you never knew you were missing!

Rare as hen's teeth digital dancehall from out of late 80s/early 90s NYC, via Cooly aka Koolindian aka Super Cat's cousin Andrew Maragh, originally released on his own Mad Indian Records - reissued here for Death Is Not The End sub-label 333.

Maragh sang in church choirs and on soundsystems in Jamaica before moving to New York in the 1980s where he quickly became involved on the underground music circuit, taking inspiration from his cousin the legendary Super Cat. "Freedom" was penned while he was incarcerated, and details the unfairness of the judicial system at that time, alongside the heartfelt need to "hustle everyday to make ends meet, whether that's picking up scrap metal or cutting lawns or voicing dubplates, whatever you do to make a dollar", says Maragh.

Having bought an Ampex tape in Manhattan, Maragh headed over to the legendary Philip Smart's Hc&f studio on Long Island with the intention of laying down his lyrics on the version to Dennis Brown's "Children of Israel". After hearing the song however, Smart went ahead and built this one-away "Freedom" rhythm on the spot. The track was then carried to Count Shelly's Super Power Records where it was then pressed & distributed as the first and only release on the Mad Indian label around the turn of 1989/1990.

Here comes a special tribute to Hamburg’s dub and sound system history of the 90s - an important chapter for dub and reggae music in Germany on a whole. One of the local veterans, Pensi, also known as the man behind Ire Hi-Fi, meets Dub Me Ruff at the Sound Navigator Studio. An unearthed gem from that era entitled ‘Generation Of Change’. The infamous ‘Dub Me Ruff System’-dubplate-mixtape from the 90s, which was run heavily on cassette by fans and collectors alike, featured a vocal cut and one dub. This and some dances at the time were the only way one could hear the tune. We just had to get in touch with Pensi directly, and carefully inquire if there could be a chance to release it after all those years properly. To our joy he was excited about the project and went back into his archive and found the original DAT-tapes and some lost mixes. We are honored to now present to you, transferred from those DATs at Soon Come Studio (a project run by Pensi and a collective of Hamburg producers nowadays) and freshly remastered and cut at Star Delta in the UK, this first ‘90s salute’ from 1995 on 12inch vinyl. Vocal plus three wonderful dub excursions crafted by Danielle ‘Yell’ Mommertz, with her going heavier on the fx with each mix - from ‘gentle’ to ‘Iration style’. The lyrics could not be more fitting today and seem to not have lost any relevance almost 30 years after they were written. A powerful message on an uncompromising roots riddim à la dub me ruff.

Black Redemption is back with a fresh 12inch featuring the iconic Scion Success on vocals. A tune entitled ‘My Father’s House’ aka ‘Love & Hate’, two different cuts, each with a dub. One side features Kheru Jahman Dan on the riddim and mixing duties in an uptempo steppers style, the other side Keety Roots in a heavy one drop style. Deep roots and culture music for your stereo!

A slice of deep ethereal roots and dub from Summer Records label boss Keith "Jerry" Brown circa 1978.

Hailing from Trenchtown, Jerry was an original member of the Rocksteady group "The Jamaicans" before migrating to Toronto. He set up Summer Records in the basement of his suburban home in Malton near the airport, a subterranean music sanctuary for the likes of Prince Jammy, Jackie Mittoo, Johnny Osbourne and Willi Williams.

Dreadlock Lady features Jerry's yearning falsetto over a hazy instrumental courtesy of the Ishan Band and showcasing horns-man Fitty's transcendent flute and Sax solos. The Dub enters even more surreal territory with Jerry at the controls putting the tape machine through its paces, reminiscent of wilder outings at Wackies Studio.

Stay tuned for a short documentary on Jerry Brown featuring a wealth of archive and never before seen footage Co-directed by Chris Flanagan and Directed by Graeme Mathieson, produced by The National Film Board of Canada.

The Do No Hurry project is an EP born from the musical synergy between vocalist Tenah and riddim artisan Oddy. It intricately weaves the finest vintage digital sounds of 80s reggae into a contemporary, current, and incisive direction. This is evident not only in the artistic and musical choices but also in the thought-provoking themes explored. It embarks on a musical journey, characterized by the vibrant tones of synthesizers, drum machines, and lyrics that gracefully navigate the realms of depth and lightness. The project is unequivocally infused with dub techniques and sound effects, making it an exceptionally original and distinctive endeavor.

Originally made back in 2002, this tune has never had a well deserved single release, so here it is remastered and backed with a version previously unreleased on vinyl! U Brown tells a story of his involvement in the soundsystem scene since the late 60’s, so come take a ride on this heavy musical excursion...

Produced by Jah Warrior, mixed by Dougie Wardrop at Conscious Sounds Studio, mastered by Sam John at Precise Mastering.

A Disco Reggae cover of BOB MARLEY's immortal classic “could YOU BE Loved” in a Vortex sound! "Could You Be Loved“, one of BOB MARLEY's best-known songs, has been given a new spin on Disco Reggae by Robert ‘’dubwise”” Browne, while remaining faithful to the original! The song starts with an a cappella chorus and then moves on to the guitar riff that is essential to this song. The gradual build up of the song will shake both your body and your heart! An instrumental version is included on the reverse side. The mix engineer is Steven Stanley, who created the innovative sounds of Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, and others.

“VP x Panja” <1st Time 45 Series>, an analog reissue project by Panja Records of songs from the world's largest reggae record company “VP Records”, has started! Two titles by Dennis Brown and Cocoa TEA to be released at the same time! This is a masterpiece of 90's Jamaican Lovers, but although a pirate 7“ version appeared in the early 2000's, it was never officially cut as a 7” and was only included on the album.

For the occasion Reemah from the island of St. Croix is back on vocal duties for the label - the result: a beautiful tune called ‘What Goes Around’ in a versatile lyrical style. On the flipside then - a ’Trumpet Situation’ - an uplifting instrumental cut featuring Berlin’s own Vale on the instrument. Both on an oldschool-style drum and bass driven riddim recorded in Brixton by the legendary Mafia & Fluxy rhythm section, spiced with some percussion by brother K’boko. The whole project was given to the dubmaster Nick Manasseh for mixing and the right treatment in his The Yard Studio and then mastered from 1/2inch tape at Star Delta in the UK. Now served with dubs and a fitting artwork by Chloé Bernal - ready to be played loud.

Originally released on Klik Records, in 1975, Dread Locks Dread became one of the new Front Line label’s first key releases when reissued in 1978.



One of reggae’s best and most recognizable ‘toasters’, Big Youth broke new ground as a DJ in the early ’70s with a flowing, chant-like cadence that was equal parts melodic and invigorating, applying his infectious vocal approach to heavy social and political lyrics.



A huge favourite of the punk and new wave artists at the time of release, Big Youth was embraced by The Clash, via Don Letts, and PiL, amongst others. John Lydon was part of Richard Branson’s A&R envoy to Jamaica, helping sign credible artists to his new Front Line reggae label.



Featuring the legendary Skin, Flesh & Bones band, formed around Lloyd Parks (bass), drummer Sly Dunbar (before he started working with Robbie Shakespeare), Ansel Collins on keyboards, and trombonist Vin Gordon. The album was produced by Tony Robinson and Errol Thompson and mixed at the famous Joe Gibb’s studio.



Dread Locks Dread skanks from punchy, rhythm-heavy reggae to the deepest, dubbiest roots. The hypnotic Some Like It Dread reworks Dennis Brown’s “Some Like It Hot”, where the DJ’s toast is entwined with a bluesy harmonica (the dub version re-titled (Black Man Message). Also features a fiery version of Burning Spear’s “Marcus Garvey” (Marcus Garvey Dread), a tasty take on the John Holt classic “Keep on Moving” – Moving On and a scintillating dub of the Techniques’ rocksteady masterpiece You Don’t Care.



Not your typical DJ album by any means, the music equals the toasts and vice versa – an essential release for a dub fan or a Big Youth supporter.

Re-mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London.



Out of print for over 20 years!

Brand new collection of Studio One killer tunes, focussing on the late 70s, 80s and beyond.Since the early 1960s Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd had established Studio One as the unparalleled leader in reggae music in the world. In the years that followed he established the careers of countless reggae legends - Bob Marley & The Wailers, Marcia Griffiths, The Skatalites, Horace Andy, Dennis Brown, Burning Spear and many more.From its inception Studio One had been at the forefront of every major development in reggae music - ska, rocksteady, roots, DJ, dub and, starting in the second half of the 1970s, dancehall.

Brand new collection of Studio One killer tunes, focussing on the late 70s, 80s and beyond.Since the early 1960s Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd had established Studio One as the unparalleled leader in reggae music in the world. In the years that followed he established the careers of countless reggae legends - Bob Marley & The Wailers, Marcia Griffiths, The Skatalites, Horace Andy, Dennis Brown, Burning Spear and many more.From its inception Studio One had been at the forefront of every major development in reggae music - ska, rocksteady, roots, DJ, dub and, starting in the second half of the 1970s, dancehall.